Improvement in machines for bending chain-links



UNITED' STATES' VPATENT OFFICE.

SELF AND JOSEPH GRAFF, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT INVMAQHINES Fou` BENDING CHAIN-LINKS.

Specification forming ofLetters Patent No. 57,043, datedAugust 7, 1866.`

To all fathom t mag/concern: l t

Beit known that I, EDWARD L. KEELER, of the cityof Allegheny,in thecounty ofAllegheny and `State 'of` Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Machines for Bending Chain-Links; and I do herebyde` `clare the bllowing to bea full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference being `had to the accompanying' drawings, formingpartof this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspectiverepresentation of my machine, a part ofthe frame-work of the revolvingdisk being removed. Fig. 2 is a front view or vertical` elevation ofinyrnachine. Fig. 3 is a side view ofthe operative parts of the machine.Fig. 4 is a top view. Fig. 5 is a representation of alink asit comesfrom the machine. Fig. 6 is a representation fof tlietop, and Fig. 7 ofthe bottom, of the diesfwhen closed. Figs. 8 and 9 `are face views ofthe two dies `for bending the links, showing the slightlylinclinedgrooves for receivii'ig the link.

In the several gures like letters-of reference denote similar parts.` t

My machine is"` designed to make links for chains from rods of iron,ofsuitable shape and diameter, by cutting fromthe rod a piece of suitablelength and `bending it betweena pair of dies secured on an ellipticalmandrel, so as to give the proper shape to the link without, how ever,bringing the endswhich are to `be united close together. The ends of thelink are bent over far enough to meet, and are cut offslanting, so as tolap, but are bent with a slight twist, so as to separate sidewise farenough to allow the insertion of another link before the lapedges of thenew link are brought together and welded.

To enable others skilled in the art to use my invention, I will proceedto 4describe the construction and operation of my improved machine.

In the drawings, A is the frame of the machine, 'which supports, insuitable bearings, a transverse horizontal shaft, B, which revolves onits axis by power applied in any convenient way. To the shaft B isattached'a circular disk, C, which contains the mandrels au', 85e.,around which the links are formed. These mandrels may be four'or more innumber, according to the size of the machine. They are all inserted inthe bodyof the disk O, each in `a suitably-shaped cavity therein.` Themandrelsc a', Src., are situated with their axes in the lines of radiito the disk, with their outer extremities at uniform distances apart onthe circumference. When operati n g to form a link the mandrels projectfrom the circumference of the disk sufficiently far to operate on therod of iron t placed across' the bending-dies DD", whichare situatednea-r to the disk, and after the link has` been `formed the mandrelaround which it has been bent is withdrawn i into `the disk,therebydischarging the link and allowing-it to drop down to the ground.

flhe mandrels a" c, Sto., areelliptical in shape, (if that, is the shapewhich it is desired to give to the l ink,) the long diameter of theellipse being parallel tothe sides of the disk. A pin,`

b, attached to one side of each mandrel a projects at right angles tothe mandrel through aslot, @,in the side of the disk G far enough topass over theface oftwocams attached to the frame of the machine. Onecam, d, is so shaped that as the disk revolves with the pin Z), restingon its upper face, it forces the mandrel a outward from its cavity inthe disk, holding it thus protruded until the link is formed around it,and the other cam, e, is so shaped and situated that as soon as the pinb is released from the cam d it passes over the curved face` of that camand` pushes the mandrel back into the disk C. This takes `place when`the mandrel is in a` vertical position with its point downward, so thatthe link which is thus delivered from the mandrel drops under themachine.

The mandrels aa', Src., are all similarly constructed,`and are operatedsuccessively bythe cams d e as the disk O revolves.

The bending-dies D D' are attached to the lever-arms f f', which workhorizontally in slots in the frame of the machine, to which the armsffare pivoted at g y', one 011 each side of the machine, as seen in Fig.4. The dies D D project from their arms so as to meet, when the arms arepressed inward, in front of the revolving disk O. When the lever-armsare not pressed inward the dies D D `stand apart, with their operativefaces opposite to each other, as in Fig. 4. The dies are closed by meansof wedge-cams h, attached to the sides of the disky C, which, as theypass the armsff' of the dies back of their pivots g g', force the diestogether until their faces come together. When the wedge-cams h releasethe dies the springs lr 7c open the dies.

Each of the bending-dies D D' has a lug, i i', projecting upward labovethe level of the top of the die, the lug i on the die D beingI in frontof the groove in the face of the die, and

the lug i', on the other die, D', being in the rear of the groove in theface of that die. When the iron rod from which the link is to be made isfed into the machine it is laid across the top of the dies D D', betweenthese lugs ii', which prevent the rod from slipping away from themandrel, as it might'otherwise do.

ln the face of each of the dies D D' is a groove, o, extending downward,which groove receives the sides of the link as it is carried downbetween the dies by the mandrel a. These grooves o o are not exactlyopposite, nor are theyparallel to, each other, but diverge slightly froma vertical line in opposite directions, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, sothat as the mandrel draws the link downward one side shall be bent alittle forward a-nd the other side a little back, and so that as thedies close over the ends of the link on top of the mandrel, bending theends round, they shall not exactly meet so as to close the link, butleave the link open sufficiently to insert another link before the endsare welded. Thus the link is bent somewhat spirally. around the mandrel,which permits of the'ends being bent over without exactly meeting.

0n one side of the machine, attached to a sliding frame, Z, which isadjustable by means of a slot, u, and pin p, is a knife, q, which worksup and down in its frame 1^. This knife is set at an angle of aboutforty-five degrees to the axis of the mandrel et, and is designed tosever a piece of iron rod of sulcient length to form a link. By cuttingoff the rod at an angle the edges of the end of the lilik are beveled,so that when bent round and united the edges form a lap-joint, which ismore easily welded and is stronger. The knife q is operated so as toshut down and sever the link from the rod just as the mandrel touchesthe rod by means of a lever-arm, s, operated by a cam, t, on the side ofthe disk C, as shown in Fig. 4.

The operation of my machine is as'follows When the bending-dies D D' areopen, as in Fig. 4, and just before the mandrel oil reaches them, therod of iron from which the link is to be made is fed in by laying itunder the knife q horizontally across the top of the dies D D' andbetween the lugs M'. The knife then descends and severs a blank from therod. The edge of the mandrel then presses on the rod just over the spacebetween the dies D D', which support it at both ends but leave itunsupported in the middle, and thus the rod is bent down by the mandreland forced around the sides of the mandrel, as the dies gradually closeupon it, pressing it closely thereto. As soon as the mandrel passesbelow the lower edge of the dies they close over the link, bending thetwo ends of the piece of iron round, so as to fit closely to themandrel, with their ends passing each other, but not quite touching, asbefore explained' The mandrel then begins to recede into its cavity inthe disk C, and in so doing forces the link oli', which thus isdelivered from the machine. This operation is repeated successively,each of the mandrels in its turn, as i't reaches the dies, forming alink, if the iron is fed into the machine.

Having thus described my improved machine for making chain-links, what lclaim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination of the mandrel or mandrels a, projecting from theperiphery of a revolving disk,(}, the converging dies D D', and knifeset so as to bevel the ends of the link, constructed and operatingsubstantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.

2. The converging dies D D', having grooves o, slightly inclined inopposite directions, in combination with the mandrel or mandrels, forthe purpose of bending over the ends of the link without closing thelink, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I, the L. KEELER', have hereunto set my hand.

W. BAKEWELL, ALLAN C. BAKEWELL.

said EDWARD d

